Palm Springs Photo Diary

I just returned from my 2 night stay at The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs for Brian's birthday.  I have to say, it was truly one of the few vacations I've taken in my life where I actually felt like I got to relax and enjoy doing absolutely nothing.  I feel completely rejuvenated!
Here are a few of the photos (with descriptions below):

The drive to Palm Springs was beautiful- the desert landscape was just beginning to bloom with color.
It was Brian's 30th birthday.  Besides the stay at the hotel, I bought him a David Sedaris book & an organic old-fashioned shave jelly (it smells like whiskey & pine trees!) from Portland General Store.
Our first night was spent drinking beer & playing Bingo, which was hosted by an amazing older woman who serenaded people in-between games.  We didn't win (we would have won if the girls next to us hadn't been cheating!), but it was still really fun.
The following morning we woke up early and rented bikes from our hotel (rooms at The Ace include free bike rentals!) and took a 5 mile bike ride around town.  It was a great way to start the day.
We got ready for a day by the pool (lots of sunscreen, straw hats, sunglasses, 'The Collected Stories Of Lydia Davis', film camera, and of course a leopard print swimsuit) and then had brunch at King's Highway.  I had the breakfast ALT, & Brian opted for 2 eggs any style.
After brunch, we spent the entire day by the pool.  Brian even took a 2 hour nap (and I took creepy photos of him while he slept).   Later, we snacked on a mezza platter & a chicken salad.
It was hot outside, but the heat was offset by a cool, spring breeze.  The pool was also pretty much empty, which was ideal for us (and it didn't hurt that they played great music outside).
That night, we were tired from sitting in the sun all day, so we stayed in our room and watched movies & ordered room-service.  We pretty much spoiled ourselves.
This morning we checked-out and had brunch at my favorite Palm Springs breakfast spot, Cheeky's.
Brian had oatmeal (boring!) and I had the smoked salmon & avocado eggs benedict.  It was the perfect end to a great mini-vacation.
Driving away from Palm Springs reminded me just how much I love living in Los Angeles.  Visible in the distance, away from the palm-tree studded, 80 degree desert roads, were mountains covered with snow.  It's pretty amazing that LA is surrounded by so many beautiful and different places that are so easily accessible.  (And the fact that at the beginning of this week I was in Palm Springs and this weekend I will be skiing in Mammoth, is amazing!)
Coming back home is never, ever hard when you have the 2 most adorable kittens waiting for you...I still can't believe how big they are getting!